Core Metadata

PeDALS assumes that the vast majority of government records and publications share a relatively small number of metadata elements that will support discovery, administration, and preservation. The project seeks to identify and codify these elements. For example, virtually all materials were created or received by some entity and belong to a named series. In addition to these broad, archival categories, the project assumes that records creators have created sufficient content-based metadata, such as subjects, parties to the record, and dates; without some sort of content-based metadata, the record creators couldn't retrieve the records. Once transferred to the repository, additional metadata elements will need to be created for all records. Examples of administrative metadata include an accession number and date, while preservation metadata includes information on file formats and fixity.

A significant part of the ingest process involves mapping metadata received with the materials to the core metadata. Developing the core metadata dictionary includes:

Identifying and defining the elements that support administration, discovery, and preservation functions

Establishing the requirement level for the elements

Testing and refining the set using metadata received with records and publications

Testing and refining the set to ensure they support the system's administrative, discovery, and preservation functions